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Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research

Global scientific trends on aflatoxin research during 1998–2017: a bibliometric and visualized study

Author: Sa’ed H. Zyoud

Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Aflatoxins are fungal metabolites associated with contaminated food products. Intake of aflatoxin-contaminated food results in serious health hazards and even death. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the global scientific output of research of aflatoxin by using bibliometric techniques.

Methods

This bibliometric study was conducted using Scopus database and classified the retrieved publications were classified from different aspects, including the countries/region of focus, journals, authors, institutes, citations, and content analysis to discover any hot and emerging topics. In addition, the bibliometric analysis of the international collaborative network and hot research topics were generated by VOSviewer© software version 1.6.10. The publication period was restricted in the search for two decades (1998–2017).

Results

The search engine of the Scopus database found 9845 documents published in the field of aflatoxin. The USA is the top publishing source in the world (22.85%), followed by China (11.85%), India (9.32%), and Italy (5.25%). In earlier years, researchers focused on terms related to the topics of “sources and biosynthesis of aflatoxin”, “health effects by aflatoxin”, and “detoxification and treatment of aflatoxin”. However, in recent years, researchers pay more attention to the topic of detection and quantification of aflatoxin.

Conclusions

The quantity of research in global aflatoxin has substantially increased over the past two decades. The evaluation of the historical status and development trend in aflatoxin scientific research can guide future research, and ultimately provide the basis for improving management procedures for governmental decisions, healthcare, industries, and educational institutions.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Global scientific trends on aflatoxin research during 1998–2017: a bibliometric and visualized study
Author
Sa’ed H. Zyoud
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6673
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-019-0248-7

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